A Soul That Feels
by 8cheshirekat
Summary: Frenken Stein/Oc, Giriko/Justin Law  "You really need a vacation." "No, I really need a face-palm moment."
1. Chapter 1: The Witch in Town

(Dr. Fraken Stein/OC, Giriko/Justin Law) If there was ever a link you never wanted to break, that would be her. It's been nearly twelve years since she'd set foot on Shibusen territory, but she does it with something in tow that changes the tides of war. But is she too late? GUY ON GUY IMPLIED

* * *

><p>-<em>flashback<em>-

Stein made a face and she sighed.

Kami leaned back and smiled at him. "You're always bored, aren't you?"

Stein shrugged and looked into those almost orange eyes of her's. He traced the lines her blond hair made on the backdrop. She was so elegant in her own way. But it was also giving off the feelings of strong and combat-ready girl.

He shrugged again and looked to his left.

Spirit was cooing his daughter back to sleep in his arms. His red hair was pulled back so his daughter could see his face.

"How long do you plan on being gone?"

She shrugged. "Long enough. Maka's getting big and there's something I want to do before she get's too tall." Kami reached across the table and touched Stein's hand. "You need to find yourself someone, too."

Sid burst out laughing. "Stein? Find love? Not many girls like his attitude." He waved his hand. "No offense."

Stein shook his head. "None taken." His eyes were sad before he suddenly sat up.

Turning, he looked at a small boy.

His stark blue eyes seemed to pierce the air. He had dirt on his face and cloths. The gloves on his hands were caked with mud. His blond hair was trimmed short. He looked intent until his face softened and he smiled. "Hiya, mister!" he said, lifting his arm and waving with a caked glove.

Stein smiled. Something about the boy felt wrong. "What's up, little man?"

"You guys are here to try to free the witch, aren't you?"

Stein blinked. How did the boy know what Death had sent them here for? Nobody knew. Not even the other Death Scythes. "How did-?"

He reached over and grabbed Stein's wrist and gently pulled. "C'mon. I know where she is." He smiled big and when Stein looked down at his gloved hands, he saw the boy was barefoot. There was dirt under his toenails and it looked like he had a broken ankle.

Stein knelt before the boy. "Tell me, can you sense her?"

He nodded. "She's calling out to someone. I don't know who she wants." He looked towards the outskirts of town. "But I would think he could hear her." He was pointing at Spirit's back. "She's trying to call to us."

Stein looked at Spirit and then turned back to the boy. "If you lead us there, do you promise to go home?"

The boy looked sad. "Yes."

Stein patted his head.

Suddenly, an eruption of witch power came from where the boy had looked. It ripped the air, shredding flowers and pots and windows as it swept by.

Stein pulled the boy in the keep him from being blown away.

He felt it then.

The boy was a weapon. But there was a spark of madness inside his soul already.

-Stein-

He sat up and rubbed his forehead. "That dream again."

"What dream?"

He turned and smacked Spirit with the nearest hard object, which was a vase, and it burst all over his head. "Get outta my room."


	2. Chapter 2: Pinkie Swears

-Justin-

He opened his eyes, slowly.

It had been so long since he'd remembered that dream. He was turning his head when his eyes caught sight of blood. Following it, with wide eyes, he found it's source.

Giriko was standing over a dead body with blood dripping off his chained legs. He made a "humph" sound before he noticed Justin moving. "Looks like clean up's on me." He skidded over and stood in front of Justin. "What's with the face?"

Justin reached up and covered his face with one hand. "Just a memory. What do you want?"

Giriko crouched down. "Eh? What's with the face?"

Justin was lowering his hand when he noticed how close Giriko was. He gasped and threw his hands out. This caused Giriko the stumble back. "Don't be so close! You smell like beer and oil!"

He hopped back to his feet. "You jerk!" He smacked him on the crown. "Don't do that without warning!"

Justin pulled a face and got up. "What happened?"

It took a second, but Giriko suddenly looked confused. "You don't remember?"

Justin tipped his head. "No. I blacked out."

Giriko sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "You kinda went overboard when the guy said something about your dirty hands."

Justin covered his face again before a mad smile cracked his face. "Is that so." He looked up at Giriko with that blank stare again. "We should be going now."

Giriko's eyes followed Justin out before he looked down. Justin opened the door and light fell on the body. It was nearly shredded to pieces and the bones were snapped in so many places. There was several breaks in the jaw and the entire rib cage was entirely concave in the middle. There was pieces of flesh stuck in the cracks of the wall.

But it was when Giriko looked up at the wall that was the unholy cross Justin had come to be known for. It was etched in a curved dip from the surface, just like a swinging pendulum. It was Justin's signature mark as a Guillotine.

He touched the carve and suddenly heard Justin call him. "Tch. I'm comin'!" He looked at the blood on his hands. This wasn't natural. Nobody could take that much pleasure in pursuing a man in the dark just to cold-bloodedly murder him.

Giriko used his chainsaw legs to finish grinding up the remains before he zoomed out to meet Justin.

-Stein-

He pressed the heels of his palms into his forehead before he turned his head to the side. "Spirit-sempai?"

Spirit just smiled and set down the tray of food. "Eat. You need your strength."

"Twelve."

Spirit blinked and then looked somber. He sat in the chair opposite Stein's bed. "Yeah. Been that long, hasn't it? Since Maka was so small. Since we lost her."

Stein began to rub his wrist. "She's been there for twelve years. I wonder if she's still the same."

Spirit leaned forward and patted Stein's head. "She suffered you long enough, didn't she? I'm sure being in the dark and having to fend for herself, she's survived this long."

Stein just smiled. "She's just like Crona. She's always been unsure of herself. I wonder if that's changed?"

Spirit didn't say anything, he just settled back into the chair. "I wonder if that's why the kids are coming."

Stein shook his head. "If anything were to happen to those kids, I would probably shoot myself." His smile was sad. "She was just as young as they were when it took hold of her. I wonder if they'll be enough to help us with."

Spirit shook his head. "They'll be more than enough. But remember, Noah's looking for her, too. The Kishin won't give up her soul that easily."

Stein clenched a fist as he turned his hand over to look at the palm. "Then I won't let her suffer. Her soul will be mine. She's not going to escape to their hands, even if I have to kill her myself." He relaxed and opened his palm again. "It's a promise I want to keep and make with you, Spirit. Before Kami and Sid get here, promise me that you'll take her life if I can't so she won't fall to the Kishin."

Spirit held out his left pinkie. "Let's do it her way. Pinkie swear me."

Stein's wide eyes softened and he smiled, the cigarette in his mouth drooping just a bit. He raised his right hand and hooked it on Spirit's. "Pinkie swear."


	3. Chapter 3: They Converge

-Justin-

He blinked. "You want us to capture the Cat Witch?"

Noah nodded, slumped in his chair. "She's been awakened for the first time in ten years. She's stirring in her grave, as it were." He looked bored as he turned his head to the side before he patted Gopher on the head. "For now, go, bring her back. Take Giriko with you. I'm sure his skills with the Madness Wavelength will help." He looked out of the corner of his eye at Justin. "Don't let her touch you, though."

Justin was about to ask when Giriko's strong grip stopped him. "We got it. Can we go?"

Giriko steered Justin out and let him go. "I'll tell you, but we gotta go back to a village called Bermesk."

Justin looked worried. "She's still there?"

"That's where her friends heartlessly sealed her to the earth, yeah." Giriko raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Justin shook his head. "Tell me, why can't she touch me?"

"Or me." Giriko crouched down to pick up the little piece of blade that had fallen out of his pocket earlier. "You see, she's not fully a witch." He stood up and stuck it in his pocket. "We're gonna need a golem to get her."

"So, in your terms, we have to detour through Lowe?"

Giriko shrugged. "We gotta hurry. Chances are, the Shibusen are sending a team to collect her, too."

-Kid-

He sighed and put his hands on his hips. "How much longer?"

Stein shrugged, his stance clearly saying his legs were hurting from standing still. "She said she'd be here by now."

Maka was antsy and Kid could clearly understand.

Kami was coming to get them. She had to complete the team of three-star Meisters. But it was also going to be the head of the two one-star Meister groups that were coming with.

Ox Ford looked at Maka as she started to rub her toes together.

There was a sudden "woosh" sound and Kami came swooping down from the air. She landed with a rather large cycle of some kind with five wheels. The front wheel and a four-wheeled cart or something behind her.

She brushed her long, sandy blond hair over her shoulder as she pulled the dust-ridden goggles over her forehead to rest on the crown of her head. She opened her piercing hazel eyes and smiled at Maka. "Yo."

Spirit ran forward and hugged her, but Kami didn't hug back, nor did she punch him away.

Kid walked forward. "Hello. It's an honor to meet such a Meister as yourself."

She smiled and touched his head. "You sound just like her."

Kid blinked. "Huh?"

Kami shook her head. "You sound like an old friend of mine, To."

"Her name was 'toe'?" Kid repeated.

"Sorta. Shall we be off then?" Kami kicked the engine back on and smiled as they loaded up. But they were short one space.

Stein sat behind Kami on the motorcycle part in the front. He fastened the helmet on before he gave her a thumbs up that they were ready.

Kid watched the back of Stein's head. Something about his soul's wavelength told Kid this wasn't going to be an easy lesson. Not even in the slightest.

-Bermesk-

"Someone's coming."

She slowly moved her head so her forehead touched those cold stones. Slowly, she lifted her arm and the chains dragged along the cold stones. She crawled her hand forward.

"But who would want to see _you_? You're ugly and old."

She began to move her other arm. It chinked and clinked as she put her hand in front of her other one and began to pull. Her black nails dug into the stones, cracking them.

"Someone wants to see me."

She had been trying to drag herself away from the seal for nearly a year now. The madness had helped. It had sent her soul into a down-ward spiral to her own special blend of madness. She was in her own world in that dark, almost unwanted hallway she'd been sealed in.

"Who wants to see such a sight?" A foot came down and caught the tail ends of her thirteen-foot chains. "You're such an eyesore."

"Please." She didn't beg. She just stated. But she suddenly felt the pulse of another madness in her and she was able to get to all fours and crawl. She had breached the second wall of seals. "I want to be outside to smile and greet them."

A hand grabbed her long, tangled mess of hair with it's dried blood sploches and pulled her head up. "But they don't like you. They left you here to die. _You're_ nothing special. Just plain ol' trash."

She reached out her hand and dug her nails into the stones, pulling herself forward.

"I want to see his face before I die."


	4. Chapter 4: Out in the Open

-Bermesk-

She was lifting her hand to go forward when she felt her hand touch a shoe. At first, she was confused why it was sharp in the middle until she realized it was a golem with sharp edges that was in her path.

Had they put that there?

"Need a hand?"

She wasn't able to speak, but Justin still knelt beside her and turned his music off. He let the ear buds dangle. He pressed his hand close to her's on the cold, slick floors. "Do you want us to help you? We can carry you from this place."

She slowly brought her knees in and sat there, cat-like, before she turned her face to him and gave a small smile. It was a yes.

The golem, with it's uncanny features to Giriko, picked her up in it's arms. It began to walk towards the exit of the long hallway.

Justin lingered back.

Something felt different. He looked back the way she'd come and held up the torch. He followed the hallway back to see what it was she'd come from.

He could see blood streaks everywhere and shards of broken chain. He found her place of rest.

There were broken shackles on the ceiling and weighted shackles on the floor. She would've been wrapped in the chains and left to hang from the roof, slowly suffocating herself from the sheer weight of the chains. But there was a single sliver of reflection from the rusted chain.

She was bound and cold water would run down her arms to her body. It would've been torturous to a Cat Witch to feel water on her skin all the time.

But all along the walls were the symbol Justin used to wear around his neck. They were scratched in with peeling blood.

Justin made a "humph" before he turned and left. Since the floor was slick enough, he ejected two guillotines from his feet and did an unusual thing he'd learned from Giriko.

He kicked off and began to glide down the hallways. He made the blades just sharp enough to slide on the top and not cut through.

-Kami-

She was bringing it down when she noticed that the entrance had been blown open. She veered and landed safely in the forest surrounding the entrance.

"What?" Spirit asked, leaning forward.

"Someone's already gone inside." Kami took the goggles off and let them hang off the handle. "So, let's be careful."

Stein, Spirit, Sid, Mira, and Kami suddenly put their hands atop each others.

Together they said: "Forge the bond! Break the barriers! Carry those lost on your shoulders!"

Kami said: "Force down the opposition!"

Stein responded: "Shield them from madness!"

Spirit came back with: "Shatter the fear within!"

Sid and Mira said, in unison: "Chop them down to size!"

Together again, they yelled: "Release the soul!" as they threw their hands into the air.

Stein started off towards the entrance. "Ox Ford, Maka Alburn, come with me." He stopped and then held his hand out. "Bring Soul and Harvar." A scythe suddenly dropped from the sky into his palm. "Been a while, Karey."

"Shut up." She smiled as she flipped out of his open palm and into her human form. "I came with Kami to see To. You know that."

Karey was a firey red-head. She had freckles all over her nose and her eyes were the sterling orange that matched her red hair. Her skin was nearly white, which was common for red-heads. She wore a pair of overalls and thick, worker's boots. She had on a dark brown jacket with white trim. It, along with the boots, were covered in dirt. She had a single thing that stood out.

A silver chain dangled from a braid in her hair behind her left ear. The braid was an intricate fishtail and the silver chain was woven into it. At the end of the braid, it continued on until it reached her knee. At the end was a Death mask. It's eyes were sapphires and the nose was an onyx. The teeth were sharp and it shone in the sun.

She had her hands in her jacket as she turned to the group. "Yo." She took her right hand and did a two-fingered salute with a smile.

Her teeth weren't white. They were gray.

And were almost like needles behind her lips.

They kind of waved and kind of gawked.

Kami stepped forward. "She's from England. She's not used to weapons having white teeth yet." Kami touched Karey's shoulder. "Keep in mind, we're not here for To. We're here for Shibusen."

She nodded. "Right. Well, let's go~o!" She did a fist pump.


	5. Chapter 5: The Church and the Witch

Justin was slowly letting her head down on the pew in the church. It was the easiest place to hide her, since he was dressed like a priest. He stood up and looked over his shoulder at the elegant cross with it's spiral of flowers down it's length. At the base was two stands of nearly a hundred candles each.

Justin glared at the cross, his eyes were cruel.

Giriko, who was standing outside, looked right at Justin. The stained glass played shadows all over his body. They brightened him just so. Giriko saw an angel standing there, with the eyes of the Kishin on his sleeve. It was as if he had fallen from grace, but had no regrets about it.

The black coat was fitted nicely about him. He was kind of cute in that sense. But his sharp, unforgiving, stark, evil, and way-to-dark eyes sent the whole thing off.

It was something Giriko couldn't get used to.

He blinked when he noticed Justin's head suddenly bowed as he prayed for something about the strange woman.

Speaking of...

Once she'd come into the light, Giriko was shocked. She had dark, dark, DARK purple hair. Her cloths were maroon with a single white line of something small printed along her right sleeve. She was barefoot. Her toes were painted with a kind of clear-to-white look. Her nails were black and just beyond her fingertips and were pretty tough, to be digging into solid stone. But the most shocking was, in fact, the amount of scars her shins, hands, and face showed.

Giriko sighed and turned away, starting down the stairs.

He stopped and set his foot down on flat ground. "Can I help you?"

Despite his residence in just one place, Giriko couldn't forget that scythe.

Karey smiled, her hands still in her pockets. She never took them out, even if she were fighting. The only time she did was when she became her weapon. Otherwise, she was quite used to just being the type with hands hotter than fire. "Just passin' through." She came up beside him to walk towards the outskirts with him. "See, I heard there was a woman here that was really something. She's said to be one of the most powerful witches of her age. Whattaya say we go hutin', again, bro?"

He stopped and lifted his foot. The rotating blades sliced as he extended fast, right at her knee. "I ain't yer bro!" His foot made contact and she went down.

"Ow! What's your problem?"

Giriko snapped his heels together. "The last time I saw you, you called me that, when you were _six_!"

"That was twenty years ago! C'mon, be a sport and help a girl out. We're looking for a witch and we seem to have lost her. Nobody's seen a witch in this village."

Giriko's nerves spiraled tight. "Why?"

Karey just laughed and then stopped suddenly. "You don't know?" She made a face at him before she turned away. "Oh, right, you're not one for history lessons." She pulled her right hand out and started spinning the skull on her chain. "Well, guess we'll find out. If she's exposed to this air full of madness, someone's bound to die by her hands." Karey waved as she walked passed him. "We'll see where she turns up."

"WHAT?"

Karey smirked. "So, you do know who I'm talking about."

Giriko dropped his hands. "Just tell me what you're talking about."

"In exchange, gimme the info I want." Karey let the skull drop as she put her hand back in her pocket.

"Deal." Giriko knew that was a bad idea, but, still, nothing too dangerous, right?

Karey crossed her arms. "There was a story from about twenty years ago about a girl. She was eight years old when the first Kishins discovered how to spread madness into objects, long after Golems came about." Karey looked at the mountains. "The girl was born in Lowe Village, but inside of a golem. Her mother wanted to free her from the madness that was taking hold of the family. The father was already consumed by it. Her mother was infected while pregnant. When the girl turned eight, she escaped."

"What's this got to do with the witch?" Giriko asked.

Karey looked back at him. "That girl was the witch that leveled the outskirts of Lowe and an entire mountain." Karey's harsh eyes stared unblinkingly into Giriko's shocked ones. "You remember that incident. The Golem makers were sent to take her down, as Golems were the only things she could touch without consuming something. At the time, they didn't know what, but, with her own two hands, she killed her mother and father, eating their Kishin souls."

Giriko knew that. He'd watched as the innocent child with blond locks was stained with blood as she swallowed their souls.

"Well," Karey continued, "she was then collected by Shibusen to be brought in to answer for her injust murder of her parents." Karey suddenly looked scared. "She was the only witch to ever enter Shibusen as a Meister. It was almost ten years ago that she stumbled across a nest of Kishin living in the mountains here. She was unable to defeat them herself, as a witch protected them. But once she killed the witch in combat, she used a child who had no idea he was a weapon in combat, no training whatsoever from him, and defeated all the Kishin."

Giriko felt his blood run cold.

"She heartlessly murdered a witch that had killed the boy's sisters and brother. She left that place and her friends saw the madness she was absorbing into her soul and fought her down a dark hallway. They sealed her in there, under a body of water inside the mountain. The water would keep her silent, as it does all Cat Witches, and sealed her walls with the powerful blocking agents in their blood as well as Death himself." Karey touched her chest. "That same witch brought together countless Meisters and Weapons. She could see the good in people and see their strengths. She became the breathing Legendary Eyes."

Giriko felt his heart suddenly fall. Did that mean that she could even see what they really desired?

"From Weapon to Weapon," Karey said, touching Giriko's shoulder, "she's what we Weapons have been waiting for since the first one was created. She's the one Hail Mary we need to be considered individuals. She said we weren't just tools of war, but tools of something greater."

Giriko had to exhale then. He looked away.

But his heart pounded in his ears.

Was it possible there was actually a witch out there who knew Weapons that well? Was it true that she could find the good in him? But could she even see what he wanted? The things he'd die for? The reason he started living again?


	6. Chapter 6: She Awakes

Stein scratched the back of his head as he lead the students through the town. "We seem to have lost her trail."

He stopped.

Karey was walking towards them, her head bowed. That was an ill omen.

"I found her."

She led the way.

Before she'd taken ten paces, a witch's soul erupted.

Maka and the other students shielded their faces.

A small figure suddenly shot through a roof and spiraled into the air. It suddenly condensed and angled right at the group.

Stein suddenly braced himself. Without Karey, he would have to stop it with his bare hands. He blinked and his eyes widened.

Her rippling purple hair, her black nails, those stark, almost unrelenting brown eyes. She reached out one clawed hand and caught Stein by the wrist. She used the momentum to shove his hand down before she grabbed his neck.

He choked.

Spirit suddenly ran up with Kami. Kami grabbed his elbow and he transformed into his black, sleek body. She grounded her left foot and twisted twice before the scythe narrowly missed the witch's cheek.

But the witch still slammed Stein's shoulders to the ground. She used her knees to press his shoulders down as she lifted one clawed hand and slashed down at his face. When he turned, she used the other hand.

Kami used Spirit and sprung high. She held just the end of Spirit's shaft. The whip-lash effect made the end of Spirit faster as he spiraled down at the witch.

Without looking away, the witch snapped her hand up and caught the very tip of Spirit's blade. She slowly turned her head and smiled crudely at the duo.

She pulled and Kami came tumbling down.

The witch's hand shot out and she grabbed one of Kami's half pigtails. She pulled and let Kami fly into a nearby building. She was holding onto Spirit by the blade. As she weighed him in her palm, she gripped just tight enough and flicked her hand out. This caused Spirit to slide close to the ground.

Sid and Mira came at her, fast and hard.

Sid turned and his shoulder collided with her ribs. That momentum made her release Spirit, he back flipped away. Sid used the shock to slice at her shins.

The witch was still reeling and then did a back bend. She flicked her foot and it smacked Sid on the chin, but he still went after her. She was shocked and jumped back several feet before shooting into the air and landing on a roof's ledge.

Sid threw Mira and she sped right at the witch's face.

The witch was reaching out to catch the knife when a chainsaw's bladed chain caught her around the neck and yanked her over the top of the roof.

Stein grabbed Spirit as he ran passed. Spirit transformed in an instant and assisted Stein in scaling the wall.

Over the roof, Justin was trying to avoid touching her, but the witch kept hissing and bearing her teeth at him. Giriko still had the chain around her neck and he began to pull. His feet were losing ground, but he was still pulling hard.

Justin raised his hands and the two guillotines shot out. He charged at her.

The witch's hand shot out and Stein used Spirit to block it from touching Justin. She was too dangerous if she touched a weapon. It wasn't a good idea for Justin or Giriko to be fighting without partners. There was a chance she might turn them.

'_Stein, we need to finish this._'

"I agree, Spirit-sempai." He twisted around her and used the sharp end to slit her throat. As she was going down, Kami came down with Karey in her hands. She used Karey's sharp side to slit the other side. The two Scythe Meisters used the ends to pin her hands down.

Sid landed on her back and used Mira to carve the skull on the witch's back.

A wind shot out from her body as she fell limp, her eyes fogging, like she was dead.


	7. Chapter 7: Then She's Clean!

Justin was approaching when Spirit reformed and held up a hand. "Don't."

Justin ignored him and knelt beside her. "Can you hear me?"

She suddenly twitched and her eyes closed.

Justin just smiled as Giriko moved around them and stood behind Justin. "Is she still alive?"

Just pulled a face. "No, she's dead." He gestured as he looked at Giriko. "She's been sealed up again. You guys are pretty crude, aren't you?"

Stein sighed and reached down. He scooped her up and gave her a piggy back. "She's coming with us."

"No, she's not." Justin's guillotines came back out. "We have orders to bring her back to Noah-sama."

The name suddenly stirred the witch and she slowly opened her eyes. For a small moment, Kami could see that she was still in a fit of fury, but as she moved her hands to touch the backs of Stein's shoulders, it was clear she was back to her old self.

"Stein."

The whisper silenced all the arguments and everyone looked at the doctor.

He turned his head. "Eh?"

She curled her toes. "You know I don't like having my feet off solid objects."

Stein slowly lowered her and turned. "You can break the seal now?"

In response, she put her foot on his face and pushed him back. "You smell." She suddenly clapped her hands in prayer. As she rubbed them, something amazing happened.

It started from her toes.

Dirt and bits of debris came off her and evaporated. When it reached her cloths, it took out tears and wrinkles and spots and stains as if they had been stickers on her cloths. It reached her shoulders and sped down her arms, clearly defining the white marks as small skulls, small Kishin eyes, and an angled swirl. It reached her face and the dirt and blood came off. Her hair suddenly flew up and around her. The top layers with it's short length flared out. The longer lengths underneath swam behind her into three, thin fishtailed braid before being tied off with a silver ring in the middle and a gold on the right and a copper on the left.

Once it settled, she released her hands and got up, dusting off her back. "It's been too long, eh?"

Stein blinked. "It's not...?"

"It is." She flexed her hands and started hopping on her toes. "Been a long time since I've held a weapon. I wonder what that would feel like." She turned and her evil stare caught Spirit on the side. "Mind volunteering?"

"Get away from me!" he screeched, running.

"Guess not."

"Will you come with me if I offered myself?" Justin asked, touching his chest. He smiled kindly at her.

Without warning, she doubled over and coughed. Blood dripped off her lip and Stein saw the seal inflame on her back. The cackle of fire told him the madness was taking it's hold through her.

The witch raised her hand and gabbed Justin's arm.

Quite suddenly, Justin felt it hit him and he gasped.

"NO!"


	8. Chapter 8: A Promise in Tears

Justin felt his body transform. He held his eyes closed.

"Open your eyes, it's okay."

Justin slowly relaxed as his eyes opened. It had been so long since he'd been here. In a place where he was weightless and strong.

"See, isn't that better?"

'_Where are you?_'

A hand came out from behind him to his side.

Justin turned and was suddenly standing in a grand cathedral. It's walls were lined with glass murals made of all one color of different shades. There were no pews, but a large pair of crosses at the head, with the only white window. The right cross was a Kishin cross, with the eyes in the middle. The left was a Death cross, with the original mask of the Lord of Death long before he started the school.

At the base was a single, small cross of onyx stone with that same, angled swirl.

Justin was about to take a step forward when his eyes caught a shadow standing by a blue window. She was hiding.

"Come out of there. I'm afraid to talk to you by the door."

'_Very well,_' Justin said. He had to form some kind of plan to get her to come with him. He didn't care how many lies, he just had to get her to Noah. It was vital.

"A little more. There's good." She stepped out. Her barefeet made a strange sound on the floor, but she crossed her arms. "You seem a lot more logical than to stand near me when I'm consumed in madness." She cocked her head to the side. "You're not very bright, are you?"

'_I'm on a mission. I can't be swayed by something else._' Justin smiled. '_Or do you wish for me to fail?_'

"Fail." She was stern.

"No! Don't fail him!"

Justin was shocked and looked across the room from the witch at a young girl, no older than ten, with a shyness that took root when he looked at her.

She hid behind the pillar. "Please don't be mad."

'_Why would I be mad?_'

"It's not like he's going to help. He's here for himself and nobody else." She had gestured to him.

'_I'm here on behalf of someone. I will do what I must to do what I must._'

"See? He's just trying to survive."

The witch stomped her foot and made fists as she yelled at the little girl. "Shut _up_ and stay there! You don't know what's happened since we were sealed away! So shut up, you little insect!"

The little one got her strength. "Don't be mean to him! He wants to help us! Maybe this Noah can help you!"

"Help me? What about you? Don't you want to be 'saved' by a stranger?"

'_Please, don't fight._'

"Look who's talking," said the witch. She pointed at the white window.

'_What do you mean?_'

"See for yourself." She slumped against the pillar. "You're not exactly earning any brownie points that way."

Justin blinked and realized, when his eyes were closed, he could see something. Closing his eyes, he gasped.

The guillotine went soaring through the air and it rebounded off of Harvard. As it rebounded, he felt the silver, thin chain pull tight and the blade swung through the air to land on the Twin Deamon Pistols. When that didn't work, a clamp formed from the other end of the chain and was swung wildly and captured two bodies inside it. With a swing, the two bodies collided with a stone wall, hard.

He opened his eyes. '_What? I don't understand. Why can't I feel you wielding me?_'

The witch's smile was soft as she came up to him. "You can't feel it because I'm a Meister and Witch hybrid, just like Giriko's a hybrid Weapon."

Justin's insides plummeted. '_You mean that you can...?_'

"Control and change you? Yes. I can do that to any weapon because of my lineage." She touched his shoulder. They were the same height and she smiled warmly at him. "But you're just what I needed. Tell me, where is this Noah? Maybe he can turn me back." She brought him in close and whispered in his ear. "If you're leading me to my death, I won't be afraid to slice you apart and eat your soul."

Justin's blood started to pump out at an unsteady rate. '_It's not your death. It's because we need your help as a Meister._'

"Good. Tell me where to go and I"ll be sure to keep you from getting hurt anymore." She held up her pinkie. "Promise me."

Justin was about to use his right hand when she shook her head. '_Wha-?_'

"I don't like using the same hand. It means you can easily turn away and leave me. I'm using my right, hook it with your left. It's a witch's way of knowing that it's not a swear or a solemn oath, it's a promise of words." She smiled.

'_Then I want you to promise me something._'

"Sure."

Justin's eyes suddenly softened and tears started to flow down his face.'_Save me. Don't let the madness take me. I want to see his face before I die._'

"Then let's promise this," she said, gently touching his face with her left.

'_S-sure._'

"Let's promise, right now, that we will stick together until we find what we're looking for."

Justin nodded and wiped his tears away. He lifted both his hands and she hooked onto both his pinkies. They swung their hands out and then in.

A white light shone and washed them out, illuminating the room to white.


	9. Chapter 9: Fight Through the Forest

Stein was shocked when he felt the wind pick up. For a moment, he thought he was delusional, until he heard Kami gasp. He looked and noticed that Kami's face looked like something shocking had just impacted her right across the face.

What had happened?

She was still standing there, her back arched, her knees bent, but her hands now hung limp at her sides. Justin's thin chain was just dangling by her fingertips. Slowly, the witch's hand moved to close over the weapon.

The moment she had a grip, her back stiffened and she looked at the sky.

Stein knew what had just happened. "Torrent!" He reached out for her.

She shot into the sky and used Justin to hook onto her broom. She twisted and spun until she was standing on it, surf-like. She angled down and as she came down, a faint blue glow trail appeared before Justin appeared. He was just a bit off from where she was, but he was standing on the broom, too.

She suddenly pitched forward and crook of her ankles caught the broom and she dangled downwards. She extended both her hands and grabbed Giriko's raised arms by the wrists. She pulled him onto the broom and Justin sat on the end. She leaned a bit forward and crouched low.

The broom sped off, into the sky.

Stein gripped his fist.

'_Stein, relax. We did what we could. We have to chase her now._'

"I got it!" Kim held out her hand to Stein. "You might be a bit heavy, but we can still chase her down!"

Stein gave her a nod as he looked. "Be careful of the wind trajectory. We need to compensate for that, Spirit-sempai."

Spirit agreed and the blade slowly consumed back and he was just a very long cross with a short end. '_This should make us light enough._'

Stein took Kim's hand as she used her knees to hold onto Jacqueline. She had to use to hands to be sure that her weapon could support the weight. It was amazing to see her hold on with just her knees. "Let's go!"

'_Right._' Jacqueline's fire erupted and the sped into the air, chasing them. '_How do we know which way they went?_'

"I'll know," Stein commented. He had managed to put Spirit across his shoulders, weaving him in and out between both arms and his head. "I'd know her soul anywhere."

-Justin-

"They're following us."

Giriko made a "tch" sound.

Justin, while looking away, touched his chest. His heart had fluttered when Giriko had made that noise. It was something he wanted to hear more often. Giriko was such an emotional person, as he was stiff in that sense.

The witch, whom Justin had figured out was named Torrent Neckoza, was too busy steering to have to deal with that. "Shake them off our trail or someone take the lead."

Justin tugged on her arm. He had the ideal agreement with her. He slid his feet right next to her's again and found his balance.

They traded places and she was standing on the end of her broom's handle. She held her arms in a cross with her palms faced out. Her nails formed the sharp claws. Softly, she mumbled "Necko, Necko, Necko..." She brought her hands to her sides and then lashed out to her sides when she said "Za," kinda loud. Smoke began to trail after them. It was being swirled by the wind, causing it to thin into a layer.

Justin was happy for that and looked ahead. He slowly tipped the broom so it was faster.

Giriko sudden slid from the lurch and his back touched Justin's shin, causing him to shiver with something like relief. "Can't you even fly this sucker?" he yelled as Justin wove through the trees.

Torrent sighed and put her hand on her hip. She held her hand out to Giriko. "C'mere. I need your length of chain."

He blinked and then shrugged. When he touched her hand, his black shadow with it's purple glow transformed into just the chain of the chainsaw. '_Wha-?_'

She twisted him around her arm in a fashion he felt comfortable with. She jumped off the broom and into the trees. She used Giriko's third setting and Torrent brought her arm over her head. With a quick strike, she came down and the tree started to bow. Lifting her foot, she kicked it over.

The little witch girl had to veer, but Stein had caught sight of her.

Torrent flicked her wrist and the chain came lose, forming into the chainsaw itself. She lunged at him, her eyes furious with madness. Torrent's hand shot out and she grabbed Stein by the bottom of his coat, weighing Kim to one side.

It was then that Stein sent a shock of his soul into her. Torrent just flinched, but was able to swing the chainsaw towards his ultimate target; Stein's face.

But missed because of a shot of soul wavelength.

'_What the-?_'

She had to release him as Justin swooped back to catch them. He had her by her hood and was trying to sweep into the sky to avoid the trees and branches. Torrent grabbed his wrist and he started to come down.

As he did, the broom began to gain lift. It was soon swirling into the air.

In her hand, Giriko made a noise of disapproval.

Torrent smiled at Justin. "Fly higher. I need to get the drop on that vehichle there." She pointed to Kami's strange cycle with it's strange workings causing the tires to be turned down and causing lift. "I'm going to be sure to take them down this time."

She lifted the chainsaw as her glass-like eyes narrowed and her smile became dangerous.


	10. Chapter 10: Open Fight

Kami looked up and gasped. "Kid! Shoot her down! She's gaining the higher ground!"

Kid's pinkies yanked on the trigger and he fired at her, but she wove around.

Quite suddenly, Kami dipped to the side and the whole thing turned to narrowly avoid a strangely shaped swirl of ice. She came up in the tailwind of Kim's slipstream.

Torrent had vanished into the trees, making her more likely to scare them.

Justin was still surfing the broom ahead of them. He seemed determined not to go into the trees again.

Kami looked down and gasped.

Torrent, her old friend, was slipping between branches and jumping from tree to tree like she truly was a cat. That time in the hallway had sent her into her feral state of her strong witch blood. Her hair was fawning out behind her as she ran and it was crazy, watching the speed and accuracy of her foot placement.

But the way she cradled Giriko in her left hand seemed like he was a bit heavy for her.

Suddenly, Torrent shot out of the tree cover. As she did, she pulled on the handle of Giriko's saw. On cue, his body began to transform and she pulled it until it was the length of a staff with a chainsaw end. As she came down with gravity, she pulled on the flat part of the chainsaw.

It pulled it into a scythe form with rotating teeth vanishing into the golem-like block where the blade connected with the handle. As she swung it, another blade spit out the other side, with stagnant teeth.

Torrent's swing was coming down hard and fast and Kami had to do something.

She lifted her foot off the opposite end and brought it down on Torrent's shoulder. That caused her gravity-pulled momentum to veer, but Torrent didn't give up.

She was falling back, but twisted under with Giriko swinging over to try to catch Kami on the other side.

'_I hope you know what you're doin'!_'

"You're not just a chainsaw, remember that." She pulled herself into the driver's position and grabbed Kami around the neck. She pulled the woman's hair so it was choking her. It sent her into a vertigo and then out. Torrent hit the descent gear and jumped off. The jump also turned her so she rolled through the air to land on Jacqueline's form. She grabbed Kim by the hair and turned her, causing the trio to spiral towards the trees.

Torrent's terror didn't last, as Stein managed to hook her with the cross section of Spirit. He pulled and she began to fall off the Weapon's body. "Come back!" Stein yelled as Torrent hung off Spirit's cross hairs. "We need you to come back!"

Torrent's eyes widened as she saw the trees below. The madness had stopped coming into her and she knew that Kami's vehicle had children. She used Giriko to push off of Spirit and hook the mechanical menace. She held her hand out and caught the edge of her broom as Justin had brought it back around.

Justin watched in awe as she used the stagnant teeth on Giriko to hook at just the right angle. "Shall I set them down?"

"No need to kill, Justin." She looked up and smiled at him. "Let's put them down."

Justin nodded and searched for a clearing. When they were finally set down, Kid looked in awe at the witch. Justin hovered just out of their way.

Torrent checked Kami before she stepped back. "I'm sorry, Stein. I have a promise to keep."

Justin's face relaxed. He had thought she'd forgotten about their promise already.

Stein grabbed her shoulder when she turned away. "To whom? Who did you promise something to?"

Torrent just shook his hand off and went to join Giriko and Justin. "I promise you this, Stein." She turned back to him, bringing her hood up. "I'll come back. I've just got to take care of someone first. I'll be back by then. Just hold off on your horays until then."

She bowed as the broom swept down and scooped her and Giriko onto it. They started to rise and Stein saw it in her eyes.

Torrent was scared and sad and happy all at once.


	11. Chapter 11: The Change

Torrent had been quiet the whole time and Justin finally felt his feet touch ground. She had started to lose altitude and he watched the small dust cloud. "Torrent?"

She suddenly sniffed and both the weapons looked up.

Torrent's eyes were closed and she crouched down again, shooting them into the air with such for the duo had to hold onto a leg. She didn't open her eyes as she continued to fly in the direction Justin had directed her.

Justin reached up and touched her hand that was clenched in a fist behind her. When he touched the fist, he felt it relax. Justin's soul flexed when he felt her soul condense more and more until it was a tightly wound orb in her chest. "Torrent?"

Giriko seemed to have noticed it too and looked up at her face from the front. He turned around and grabbed the hand in front of her and it relaxed as well. "Oi, steer the damn thing, don't just stand there!"

Torrent's eyes flew open and her soul suddenly expanded outwards, thinning itself to a normal density, consuming the two weapons in her deranged soul. Her eyes were glowing a purple shade as the wind began to pick up.

Again, her cloths began to change. The sleeves on her sweater snapped just above her elbows, causing them to extend beyond her finger tips. The hood formed a claw with the thumb claw coming up her right cheek and the other four extending down the left side of her face. The end of the coat flew out and rippled in the air as a pair of belts snapped around her waist and pulled in tight. The zipper came undone and formed buttons and holes as a dark purple shirt buttoned over her torso just in time. The collar was long, reaching the middle of her rib cage. Her legs were strapped in crisscross patterns on the left leg and three in parallel on her right shin. Her boots were those of a Golem-maker's, with a maroon sole instead.

"Torrent?" Justin asked, a bit more strained from the force of her soul consuming him. He was holding onto her hand and the broom to keep from flying away. "Torrent, what's happening?"

Giriko, on the other hand, was fine. The force hadn't hurt him. He noticed Justin's struggle and looked up at Torrent again. "Oi! We need that one!" He slapped her hand away from the line and Torrent blinked. The soul rapidly condensed to a normal size for a child. "You alive back there?"

Justin nodded, touching his chest and breathing hard.

Giriko turned his head, but his eyes remained on Justin. He didn't want to lose Justin. The blond had shown him that there was still hope out there that there's something out there for everyone. But it was strange, why did he feel it for another guy? Shouldn't he be falling for a girl? Then again, it could just be mutual respect for each other that was making Giriko feel like that. It _had_ been too long since he'd interacted this closely with people.

Torrent didn't speak as they came to the meeting point.

Gopher flagged her down and she descended directly down. She came down fast enough to cause updraft, but not so fast the boys had to cling to anything. As she set their feet down, her eyes, dark as they were, met Noah's. A smile cracked her lips with sharp, cat teeth.

Gopher flinched away. "Noah-sama..."

Noah approached her. "It's so good to finally see you." He smiled.

Torrent's smile faded and her stone face hid her next move well. Her hand came up, silver claws extending from under the sleeve as she captured Noah's throat. As she began to grip tightly, she raised her head to look at him. Her eyes were still cold as she started to squeeze harder.

Gopher ran forward. "Stop!"

Torrent's stone face turned on him and he irked but still came to Noah's aid.

He threw his foot forward and broke the contact between the two before he held his hands out to protect Noah. "Don't hurt him! He didn't do anything to you!"

She made a face that clearly said how disgusted she was with his contact. She twisted her arms around his neck and began to force his back down. The soft cracking told them she was cracking his spine. But if she put more force, she could literally break him.

Justin stepped closer and touched her head. "It's quite alright."

Torrent's eyes snapped up t him and she released Gopher. Her balance was impossibly crazy. She was on her toes, leaned forward, with one knee in the air and her arms out like a ballerina swan. Gopher was coughing when she looked down at him.

"You're just a brute!"

Her foot came down from it's perch in the knee and made contact with his face, but it just rested there.

There was silence for a moment.

Noah burst out laughing at that sight. He held his hand to his head and the other to his gut.

Gopher was screaming in disgust as he tried to swat her foot away.

Justin and Giriko were off on the side. Justin's face was blank as ever. But Giriko's was of pure confusion. The duo looked strange, but they waited still.

She did use Gopher to step over to Noah again.

"I know, I know, I am sorry you were taken by force."

Justin raised an eyebrow. "Why won't she talk?"

Noah touched the crown of her head. "Because she's unable to talk when she's consumed by madness."


	12. Chapter 12: A Fight

Stein leaned back and his head connected with the pillar. He slid down to the floor and covered his face with both hands.

Spirit sighed and waited for him to get to his feet, along with Kami, Sid, Karey, and Mira.

Stein had been effected by the look in To's eyes when she'd taken off. Spirit had seen it, too.

Kami knelt down and touched her old friend's shoulder. "C'mon. Death must know what happened."

Marie's voice suddenly pierced the air. "Hey!"

They looked up, except for Stein.

Her eyes caught sight of Stein and she leaned down. "Stein-hakase?"

"Don't bother him just yet." Kami touched Marie's shoulder. "He's still in shock."

"About what?" came Azusa's snide voice.

Kami scratched her cheek. "Well..."

The kids from the adventure were coming up behind Azusa.

Kami decided to say something. She let her arms fall. "He's upset because we lost Torrent."

Azusa's body suddenly became a bit shaky. Her hands trembled and she suddenly hugged herself. "Y-you found her?"

Kid came up beside her. "You're afraid?"

"Well, um..." Azusa looked at Stein. "She's the only one who's ever..."

The silence was just long enough for then to all scream and jump when Stein spoke up.

"Torrent, the Cat Witch, is the only known Meister to be able to change a Weapon's form." Stein slowly got to his feet. "She morphed Giriko into his dormant form of a scythe. Giriko's lasted this long because of a Soul Transfer. His original weapon was a Scythe."

Kid made a confused face. "Wait, you mean that she can make any Weapon change it's form?"

Stein nodded. "She was instrumental in helping seal away many Kishin in this room." He slowly turned to Kid. His eyes were glass-like as he sighed. He reached up and began to crank the bolt. "Torrent, the Cat Witch, is the only know Meister to wield Excalibur to his full extent. She was able to utilize both him and the original form of Ragnarok. They are two blades meant to fight alongside."

Kami sighed and came to stand beside Stein. "But she wasn't born to be a Meister." She turned to the kids and smiled at Azusa. "She was born a witch from that little village of Bermesk. That was her home turf and the only place you can seal a witch." She clasped her hands behind her back. "A witch can only be sealed and killed on their home turf."

Spirit stood next to Kami and smiled at Stein. "Torrent is actually the only know surviving Guillotine Meister. However, because of the rarity of Guillotine Weapons, she took up learning to be a Sword Meister, too. Along with those skills, she kept her ability to fly her broom and use her witch power."

Sid reached out and touched Stein's shoulder as he joined the other two at his side. "Torrent was relentless in showing that a Witch can be just as good as anybody else. She was breaking down barriers while at Shibusen. She took her time and worked her way up to one of the best Meisters to graduate, along with myself, Kami, and Stein." He turned to them and smiled. "The man I was used to want to fight her constantly to show that we were still both strong and on equal ground."

Mira smiled at the group at large, standing near Marie. "We were formed as a group and we were easily the force to be reckoned with. Stein graduated early, but we continued to go on missions together, to make up for all our lost time during the year of the Kishin Hunt."

Maka made a face. "The Kishin Hunt?"

Stein nodded. "Torrent was the driving force behind it. There were many Meisters that were fresh from school who thought it would be easy. But most of them fell to the hands of a Kishin. Some became Kishin. Torrent, Sid, Kami, and myself were excluded because of our Chain Resonance. Torrent can absorb a ridiculous amount of madness before it takes root in her soul. During this time, we discovered a child had been sealed in Kishin territory."

"When we freed the child, we discovered he was a Weapon." Kami touched her torso on the right side. "But he had been taken by the Kishin's madness. He attacked us, but with bits of debris. Never showing us what kind of weapon he was. At the time, Torrent was on the brink of being consumed. The boy attacked her, but she touched his head and the madness we felt from her completely vanished and the boy was instantly calm. He did as we said and hid amongst the large Golem's his village had made."

"Because of that, we fought on and brought in nearly five-thousand Kishin eggs." Sid looked at Stein. "But it cost us a great toll. The man I was escaped with major injuries that would have sustained death, if we didn't have Azusa's eyes to guide us to safety."

Kid stepped forward. "But why would Stein be so effected by Torrent's sudden leave?"

"I can answer that one."


	13. Chapter 13: A Strange Feeling

Noah was watching as Torrent was sparing with Gopher again over something she kinda didn't say.

He looked at Justin, who had been staring at his hands for the last several hours. "Oi, Justin."

He blinked and turned his stone face towards Noah. "Yes?"

"What's up with you?"

Justin looked over at Torrent. "Something happened." He touched his chest with that hand. "She felt... warm."

"Warm how?" Noah touched Justin's hand.

Justin shook his head. "I can't explain it. I just felt warm. It's the best word I can think of for what happened. I'm not sure exactly what it was."

Giriko was dragged into the fight when Gopher's blow missed and got Giriko right across the jaw.

Torrent was still crouching when Giriko turned on his chainsaw leg and she ducked to the side. As she slid out of the way, Giriko's foot came down and narrowly missed Gopher's face. It was then that Torrent caught Giriko by the ankle and twisted his jeans around and jammed the chain so she could grab his foot. She grabbed by the toes and swung him into Gopher with such ease that she just needed one hand and an open palm.

The two collided and she hopped onto her broom to take flight where she wouldn't have to fight them. She remained out of their reach as Giriko went for Gopher's throat. She finally came to sit on the broom beside Noah. She looked up at him.

Noah shrugged. "They're always like that. Let me ask you, what did yo do to Justin?"

She shook her head.

"Noah-sama?"

He smiled at Justin. "What's up?"

Justin smiled his kind of crude smile. "Are you okay? You seem a bit worried about something."

"Worried about my little parade, yes. Torrent's a good addition. She'll be strong enough to fend off the Shibusen kids and their pesky teachers. It'll last long enough."

Justin nodded when Torrent suddenly ran behind him and gently gripped his sleeve. She was hiding behind him just enough to glare with one eye at Gopher. "What's wrong?" he asked, lifting his arm as she grabbed the back of his jacket.

Gopher suddenly came in for a nasty blow when he was blocked by Giriko.

Justin blinked and turned his blank stare upon Giriko.

Giriko kept hold of Gopher's shirt as the kid thrashed about and swore like a sailor. "Leave her alone!"

"You're just fancying her pretty face!" Gopher said.

Giriko popped a stress mark. "Say that again! I dare you, you little-!"

Torrent rushed out and grabbed Giriko's arm. She made a face and suddenly, Giriko's madness vanished from the air. There was a sudden feeling of calm rippling through the air as Torrent slowly reached up to Giriko's face. When her hand touched his face, his eyes glazed and his body collapsed into her arms, like he was paralyzed. She sank to the dirt with him before she gently stroked his hair.

Justin slowly took the earphones out. He was trying to see if she was making a noise or something to calm the normally rowdy Giriko. But he heard nothing. "How did you do that?"

Noah's smile was etched with eager greed. "She used her wavelength to invade him. It's a trick she picked up from her witch companions as a child." Noah reached down and patted her head with a kind smile now. "You're so eager to get started. We need you to find the last pages of the Book of Eibon."

Torrent made a soft "sh" sound when Giriko groaned before his eyes slid closed. She looked up at Noah with a stone face, but seemed to agree, because Noah slowly lifted his hand away, being careful not to throw her hood back.

"Very well, let's get started."


	14. Chapter 14: The First Time

-_flashback_-

Stein was getting in trouble these days, but he was ready for the consequences for this fight. He was being dragged into the Death Room when he stopped.

There was a girl standing on the stage with Death. She was wearing a pair of black boots that were pressed together at the toes, a pair of blue jeans that were tucked into her boots and a long, maroon trench coat that swept the floor on several points.

Stein shoved the teacher's hand off of him. "I said let me _go_."

The girl's hands were clasped together at the front and she seemed scared to look up.

Death sighed and then smiled brightly. "Come, come, let's be good and decide what to do!"

The girl slowly stepped behind Death, holding onto his jacket.

"Eh? No, no, he won't bite." Death smiled and softly patted her head. "Go on, say hello."

She shook her head, hiding her face against Death's side.

He sighed heavily and then smiled at Stein. "Franken, this is Torrent. She just transferred into Shibusen. She's your age, you know."

Stein crossed his arms. "Why should I care?"

"Because she'll be joining you to replace the two older students on team Kami. Kami and Sid will be outside waiting for the two of you." Death smiled at Torrent, who was still burying her face into his side.

Stein suddenly felt it. Her soul was a witch, but it was hurting from something. It still hadn't fully shaped itself and seemed afraid of everyone around. It drew him in. She wasn't afraid of him, she was afraid that her soul would hurt him. Stein reached out and grabbed her sleeve.

She made an "eek" and looked up.

Her stark eyes made contact with his and they stood there, staring at one another.

Stein felt Torrent's soul suddenly flux with an itch to reach out and see if he would let her hold onto his sleeve. He gave her a little smile.

She was just like him, in a sense. She was just as afraid and just as unsure as he was. But it was then that it became obvious that she was having trust issues, but still took that leap of faith to try him on.

Stein met her hand with his own. "C'mon. I'll introduce you."

Torrent's smile was kind and she gripped his hand. "K-kay." She looked up at Death. "C-can I go, s-sir?"

He nodded. "Of course. Just remember to come back after class."

She agreed again, with a smile that touched Stein's heart. He felt warmed by her presence.

-_end_-

Stein slowly opened his eyes and rolled onto his side. His shoes tapped the end of the bed.

The noise startled him when it echoed and he sat up. He had gone home and the moon was outside, laughing like usual. Stein slowly turned his head to the window and realized that he knew this feeling. It had happened before.

Stein touched his chest and felt something spark through the air. He jumped out of bed and grabbed his coat as he threw open his door.

He stopped when he noticed the lights were on downstairs. He dashed down the stairs and stopped, looking into the living room and holding onto the rail.

Marie smiled and waved. "Yo." She waved.

Kami and Spirit looked up at him from the sofa as Sid and Mira came into view.

There, sitting on the table, was Torrent's information file. It was still sealed.

Stein slowly came over, putting his glasses on. "Why're you guys all here?"

Kami got to her feet and reached out. She gave Stein a hug. "We're here to help you through this. We've got bad news to tell you."


	15. Chapter 15: The Side

Stein slowly sat down. "Okay."

Kami slid the file towards him. "We were told not to read it until you got up." She lifted her hand off the file and clasped them in her lap. "But we'll tell you what we know so far in the situation regarding To." She took a deep breath. "We were able to locate her due to her massive wavelength now that she's consumed by madness. It seems that she's in search of the last few pages of the Book of Eibon. However, it would appear she's not in control of herself due to the madness inside her. She's unable to communicate with the outside world, even through her wavelength." Kami's eyes met with Stein's. "She's not capable of consciously knowing what she's doing."

Stein nodded. "That sounds about right for a madness wavelength."

Spirit sighed and looked at Stein. "Sempai, do you understand what this means?"

Stein smiled and clasped his hands together. His eyes were sorrowful. "She's drawn to large amounts of chaos. Noah has so much of that within him, as well as the Chainsaw, Giriko. She'll follow them to the death."

Spirit touched Stein's shoulder from behind his chair. "Then you know what we have to find out."

Stein looked at the file. "Yeah."

-Giriko-

"Why'd I wind up babysitting you?" he grumbled as he kicked over an almost collapsed, dead tree. "This place is swarming with ugly trees and all kinds of disgusting stuff." He took notice that Torrent was still moving. "Oi!"

She stopped and knelt down. She seemed to be examining something.

Giriko sighed and walked up behind her. He was just leaning forward when he felt the madness and blood lust in his soul being sucked out. He gasped as a wave of calm washed over him and he looked down at To. She was pulling it from within him.

Giriko took a step back and that familiar taste for blood returned. He blinked and then kicked her in the back, making her face-plant into the soggy mud. "Bleh. Stay there." He started looking around.

Torrent's soul suddenly expanded and Giriko felt that feeling of something safe and warm. He turned slowly and noticed Torrent's blank face was wide with shock and she almost seemed to be reaching out. But she was still sitting in the mud.

Wind picked up around her and a shock wave sliced through the air at her head level. But it didn't damage anything or cause any wind, just a ripple of light change before she slumped in her little perch.

She'd been doing that whenever Giriko got too close. He scratched his cheek and looked away. "Creepy."

Torrent's muddy hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, dragging his hand out of his pocket. She smiled up at him and gently tugged.

Giriko crouched down. "What?"

She put his hand on the dry dirt and he felt it.

Rumbling.

Something big was moving and he looked up at her.

Torrent's wavelength touched his and he could feel the stampede of hungry boars running towards their favorite watering hole. They were just passing by the duo. But the feeling in the ground was like a minor earthquake running through.

Giriko felt a smile on his lips and looked at his hand on the dry dirt. It felt unusually good to feel animals running by and struggling to survive. But at the same time, it let him know that Torrent, the Cat Witch, was under all that darkness. That she was still trying to retain herself.

Giriko lifted his hand off the dirt and got up. He stretched. "C'mon. Find the next page and we can go back."

She nodded and got to her feet. She started to pat her cloths off. The mud was falling off her in flakes, like she had dried it up. As Torrent's hands pat herself clean, the bits of dirt chunked to the ground and Giriko watched with shock as she stood up and smiled at him.

She was beautiful when she smiled. She was... probably the only girl Giriko could see being an angel of some kind with broken wings and a need to rise. Still, the sun broke through the trees just so and it fell on her face, lighting her up.

Giriko held his hand out. "C'mon, let's go."

She ran over and took his arm instead. Torrent must've been a sweet girl way back when. But something must have made her into such an emotionless woman. Still, right now, Giriko was more concerned with how much circulation he'd have to his fingers.


	16. Chapter 16: Mapping History

Stein finally stopped and set the file down, holding onto a single piece of paper. "Here, this is what we're looking for."

Kami set her stack of papers down and looked up. The others ceased their investigation with the stacks of books they'd uncovered in the library.

Stein pointed to Sid. "Open the book on the history of Lowe Village and go to the chapter about the girl in the forest." He pointed to Mira beside Sid. "Bring us a map of the outer-lying villages from Lowe to Death City." He looked at Spirit and Kami. "Find me every scrap of evidence about witches born soon after the first Kishin's rise and the events that shaped Lowe Village." He looked at Karey. "Find me everything you can on a village turned town called Bermesk."

Marie touched Stein's shoulder. "Are you sure I can't do anything."

Stein picked up a small note pad. "Follow my lead and write it down. The connection's there."

Marie nodded and touched his shoulder again. "Was she special to you?"

Stein stopped and turned to her. His eyes clearly etched his need to tell her, but he slowly smiled. "She was something else. If you think I've got problems, well, at least I had family and friends to fall back on." He looked away. "You and her would've been good friends if you ever had spoken to her."

Marie blinked. "I've met her before?"

Stein was about to answer when Kami set the map down on the table. Spirit handed Stein a pencil. "I'm not sure exactly where, but somewhere just outside of Lowe was a destructive path that was untraceable." Stein put a small mark beside Lowe.

Sid set the book down beside the map. "It's pretty graphic. I hope it describes what you're looking for."

Mira came to stand beside Sid and set down a book's leaflet. "Here's a map with the road from Lowe to Death City, or the most direct path." She stood back and watched Stein. "I'm not sure if that's what you were looking for.

Kami held her book close before she and Spirit approached. "I know you were looking for this, but here. This is a directory of every witch born between the rise of the Kishins and the Battle at Bermesk. They were the two large land-marked events from that era."

Karey set down four books. "These are the informational history books on Bermesk."

Stein pointed to Marie. "Start taking notes." He looked at the two maps. "Read me off the names of the witches and their locations of birth as well as their mother's names." Stein began to mark up the map with small marks everywhere.

"Witch born to Meister Gerald Finnch and Witch Kare Polish, born in outskirts of Bermesk to the East. Name: Fancy Torrent. Weighed six pounds at birth. Sent to the church for practical schooling. Unable to fly." Kami blinked. "That can't be _our_ Torrent, could it?"

Stein looked up at her. "Next."

Kami nodded and continued reading the list.

Stein pointed at Mira. "Mark these villages along the path to Death City. Mark Bermesk, Veltro, and Sirkan." He looked at the map again. "Start with the beginning of the destruction in Lowe. Direct me from there, describing all the Golem-maker's who were killed during the destructive path."

Sid began with the recent deaths and worked his way back. They were descriptive recollections.

Stein pointed to the last death the book had mentioned. "Was there any witnesses as to the death of the young girl?"

Sid nodded. "A man named Giriko Sou witness the incident. He was the last to engage her in combat. His Golem withstood most of the blows. He was able to capture her after that, but she escaped the same night and Giriko was found nearly bled out. They don't know what had happened, but Giriko Sou was able to recover and he still lives in Lowe as far as we know."

Stein nodded and circled an x on the map. "Tell me about Bermesk."

Karey nodded. "Bermesk is the birthplace of Fancy Torrent, a well-known witchling. Her brother was killed due to his uses as a weapon. He was a rare weapon with several abilities that wasn't like Tsubaki. However, Fancy's father, Gerald Finnch was a Golem creator from Lowe who was residing in Death City as a Meister for a short time before returning to Bermesk." Karey looked up at Stein.

Stein was leaning on the table. "Was Fancy killed in Bermesk?"

"No." Karey looked back at the book. She began to read right from the book. "Although we have cleansed ourselves of witches, there was a strange incident where a single witch escaped with her husband and daughter. She fled through the passes to Lowe, a village that accepted many witches for a short time. However, the daughter seems to have lashed out, as there were deep grooves cut into the trees surrounding the leveled house.

"However, we have found evidence that the young witch is not as consumed by madness as the other witches we have executed. The young witch was the same witch who allowed a woman who may have lost her child to be able to bear that young child. The young witch seems to have a gift of healing."

Karey gasped and looked up. "That is Torrent!"

Stein marked a specific spot on the map. "We sealed her right under her own house." Stein pointed as Kami and Sid looked.

Sure enough, the spot Stein had marked as the birthplace of Fancy Torrent was the same place she'd been sealed, nearly twenty feet down, but the same spot above ground. When Stein traced the path to the exit, it came out just outside the reach of Lowe's strange trees. The Golems had come and kept her safe for ten years.

Sid looked at Kami. "Then she's going home."

"Right back to where she started."

Stein shook his head. "No. But read this." He set the paper down for them to all look at. "This will tell you what she'll do next."


	17. Chapter 17: To and Justin

(**A/N:** i realize i made up his last name, but i figured "Sou" sounds pretty close to "saw", so...)

Stein backed away when Kami picked up the page.

"This is her graduation sheet." She looked up and Stein looked away.

Kami read it aloud.

"Name: Fancy Torrent Neckoza. Classification: Meister. Status: Four-Star Meister. Graduation Classifications: Meister has show the ability to change with battle. She has demonstrated her use as a Meister to create and train Death Scythes in the future. Meister has also displayed use of environment as well as full control of her sub-conscious self. Meister will be granted Four-Star Meister status due to further studies. Family: Mother's Name; Not Available, Father's Name; Not Available, Brother's Name; Not Available, Sister's Name; Not Available. Partner: Partner's Name; Yushi Swiing, Partner's Classification: Guillotine, Partner's Graduation Classifications: Not Available due to sudden death."

Kami swallowed and looked at the bottom half.

"Graduation Missions Completed: Search for the Golem; Status: Completion, Souls Collected: Four. Entry Into the Kishin's Library; Status: Failed. Status: Completed."

Kami held it away from her body.

Spirit took it. He'd never know the kinds of singular missions Torrent had ever been on. She had failed a mission?

His eye caught something at the bottom. "Name on Graduation: Torrent Neckoza, Guillotine and Sword Meister, Cat Witch. Classification: Meister. Graduation Status: Four-Star Meister, Death Scythe Meister, Madness consumption." Spirit looked at the photo at the top of the page. He read the last part with a fear in his voice. "Family: Deceased."

Stein nodded. "She's virtually alone." He gripped his arm. "Guillotines are rare. They usually don't show their abilities until it's too late in life. But it's rare to find one that survives beyond childhood. Most of them fall short of being able to survive their first transformation."

"Why is that?"

They all looked up to see Azusa. She adjusted her glasses. "Justin's a Guillotine, he survived."

"True." Stein put his hand out to offer Azusa his unused chair. She didn't take it so he sat down. "But Justin is a rare case of not knowing his powers." Stein looked up at them. "There's something I promised only to tell you guys if Torrent was ever unable to do it herself."

-Justin-

He looked up at the clear skies as a bird fluttered by. He reached up and touched his chest.

Justin closed his ever blue eyes and a tear slid down his face.

Torrent's voice echoed in his mind. '_What's the matter?_'

Justin began to cry again. '_Why? I don't understand. I thought that maybe he'd be happier if I was able to show him I was strong._'

Torrent sighed and then smiled through her words. '_You truly believe in love everlasting._'

Justin gently rubbed his face before he reached out to the tree at his side. He slid down. Pulling his legs in, he hugged his knees and pressed his forehead against his knees. '_I truly believe in love, yes. But why? I want him to laugh just once for only me. Is that asking too much?_'

Justin felt Torrent's hand touch the crown of his head, but all he did was open his eyes, staring at his lap. '_Don't give up. I'm sure there's someone out there for you. They may find out that they love you just as you are._'

Justin suddenly looked up. He quickly rubbed the tears away and got to his feet. He put his ear buds back in and turned up the music.

Giriko came around the tree with Torrent in tow. "Hey."

Justin looked at him sideways. '_I wish my sacrifices to who I want to be will reach your happiness. I'll be strong enough someday._'


	18. Chapter 18: The Light Air

Justin was standing outside and was watching two little girls playing in the playground when he popped his ear buds out. "Yes?"

Giriko looked down at Justin and then shrugged. "Why are you here?"

"Waiting for the two girls to not notice the sun going down." Justin's flat tone was all there was to hear.

Giriko suddenly looked at the blond and his intense stare. "You're hungry?" he almost yelled.

Justin turned and smiled a soft smile at Giriko. "Of course I'm hungry. Why else would I be hunting prey?"

Giriko's heart clenched. When had Justin become so... so crazy? Where was that playful attitude he used to have? Giriko had known Justin as a combatant, but there was a part of him that saw Justin as the best thing that had ever happened to him. So, where was that young spirit that believed there was good in people?

Justin gasped and looked away, towards the girls. They had noticed Justin and had started running up to him.

Giriko had to bite his lip. Where was the soft smiles he used to see? He couldn't remember the last time Justin smiled just because. Hadn't that been during the fight in the mountains? When they'd been snowed in?

Justin took the girls up on their offer to play basketball with them. He was getting up when Giriko suddenly felt a huge wave of madness hit him from Justin. Justin was about to pounce on his pray.

Giriko suddenly clenched his jaw tight.

Justin had taken hold of one of the girls. His kind smile was freaky. He sliced through the other girl as the one he held in his shackle screamed and tried to free herself. Justin turned to her and began to shrink his shackle. It grew smaller and smaller and he pulled the girl in close.

Giriko heard the whisper.

"You'll be tasty, won't you?"

Before the girl fell to the ground in two pieces.

Justin scooped up the two souls and devoured them. He noticed Giriko's shocked stare and turned his head. He smiled that unfamiliar, kind but freaky smile. "Let's go home."

Giriko clenched his fists in his jacket. Justin was growing into a bloody killer. There wasn't anything in there but a darkness. Where had that little light gone? The one that made Giriko feel like he was finally alive? Like he had something out there that made sense! Had he lost it? His own little light, had it died?

Torrent suddenly touched Giriko's arm.

He jumped a mile out of his skin and turned to yell at her.

She was emitting a dark, gloomy aura. She looked up at him with a sad pair of eyes, but a bored face. She was holding onto his sleeve and resembled one of those creepy kids that loved killing.

Giriko felt the stress mark he'd popped vanish and he was overcome by fear. He began to tremble. "What?"

She suddenly smiled and it was like the world went happy.

Giriko pulled a face. He suddenly grabbed the top of her head and her jaw from the side. He started shaking her back and forth. "What the hell's wrong with you? Are you possessed or something?" He was yelling in her ear as he kept shaking her back and forth.

Justin approached. He had a bloody hand on Torrent's face when Giriko stopped. "Did yo need something?"

Giriko had completely forgotten about Justin's food and the blood drained out of his face. "Really?"

Justin blinked. "What's wrong?"

Giriko popped several stress marks. He grabbed Justin and started to strangle him. "REALLY?" he repeated.

Torrent stood there and watched as the duo got into a fist fight. She looked over at Noah.

Noah shrugged. "They'll survive. C'mon. I've got something for you to do."


	19. Chapter 19: Giriko's Appearance?

Stein was sitting alone when he reached into his pocket. He pulled out the pendant again.

The crystal shone in the light. It reflected everywhere, but the core had a figure of a witch. She was hold herself and a cat tail wound around her legs while her arms wrapped up her torso. Her hair seemed to float about her in it's three, long ponytails and the long parts that framed her face.

Stein had kept it all those ten years.

It had been her birthday present before she'd vanished after the Kishin Hunt. It was the last thing she had ever given away.

"Stein?"

He took hold of it and turned his head. "Mm?"

Spirit came up beside him and watched the sun going down. "Is it true? That you found out about the miscarriage?"

Stein nodded. "I wasn't lying when I said Torrent had been brutally assaulted. She had lost the child because she's unable to bear children. Her body will automatically reject the child and kill it when it begins to have a heartbeat." He put the crystal away. "It's one of the faults of being born to a Meister and Witch. Her genes won't allow her the joy of having children of her own."

Spirit leaned over to look at Stein's face. "Did you ever wonder?"

Stein nodded. "She even asked. There was no way I was going to perform surgery on her."

Spirit stood up. "Why is it that only now I hear of you having such an affliction with her? I thought the two of you hated each other. What changed?"

"I did." Stein touched his chest and breathed. "I found a reason to finally open my eyes to something different. She reigned me in. Brought me to my knees one day. But the next day, she would lift me to the sky. I felt something and I wasn't sure what it meant."

"Your heart quickened," Kami said quietly. "Stein, we want to reunite the old team. Reunite under one cause."

Stein was about to answer that when something startled him.

He turned his head, throwing his chair aside.

That feeling of blood thirst... it was drawing in Stein's special madness. He could feel it pulling and tugging at him. He was being drawn into that soul! It was coming up the stairs, slowly, unsure of itself. It was coming towards Shibusen!

Stein felt his fears suddenly double when he felt no madness in his soul. He gasped.

To had been the only one who'd ever done that! She was the only one who'd ever made the madness vanish like that!

Suddenly, a man came into view. He stood at the top of the steps. An off-gold shade to his hair was from the setting sun. His stark brown eyes and clay-colored skin were offset by his white jacket and dark jeans. His boots were flaking a thin layer of mud. There was a bracket pierced to his nose and one earring on the right ear with three on the other side. He smiled kindly, showing just a jagged bunch of teeth. His five o'clock shadow was made darker by the light coming from behind him.

"Oi, who's Stein?"

Stein could feel a calm coming off of this man's soul. Why was he calm if he had jagged teeth like that? "Who are you?" Stein asked, rearranging his soul's wavelength.

He smiled with a wide grin. "You must be Stein. I've got a proposition for you, if you'll hear me out."

"Answer me, who are you?"

The man touched his chest. "I'm the man of the Enchanters called Giriko Sou. I'm here to cut you a deal if you'll have it."


	20. Chapter 20: Crystal

Stein bit his lip. "What kind of proposition?"

Giriko took his other hand out and held them out so they could see that he wasn't holding any weapons. "I'll tell you were you can find Justin Law if you help me with Torrent."

Stein's eyes widened. Giriko Sou wasn't lying to him.

-Torrent-

She peeked around the corner and stopped.

Her new mission was to find the person delving into her past and to force them into the open. She was going to have to engage in combat to do that.

Still, To's voice was etched with longing and need. She was going to have to find Giriko first.

Right now, she was stuck in the barren lands of the desert. The cliffs made sharp drops and good ledges to hide on.

She watched as one little dust cloud was followed by someone else's swarm of dust.

Torrent slowly reached out with her wavelength to see who it was.

She knew it was dangerous, but she still opened her wavelength. It shot through the air and made contact with the first dust cloud.

Torrent gasped when Giriko reached back to her. He was trying to draw her out. Giriko was telling her that it was okay, it was just one person riding a small motorcycle he'd borrowed from a friend. He beckoned her down.

Torrent held her hand out. A little glow of purple with a maroon sheen formed and extended to her broom. She threw it forward and then jumped on it. She landed on it with her boots and leaned forward. She was zooming forward and gripped her chest.

Giriko skidded to a halt. He turned back to Stein, who'd borrowed Soul's motorcycle. He held up a hand. "Wait here. She's still unsure." He skidded towards her, where she floated on her broom. She was crouched down and was watching Stein.

Giriko stopped in front of her and Torrent's blank face was watching Stein before she reached out to Giriko.

He looked over his shoulder at Stein. "He's okay. He wanted to see you. He's willing to take your madness away."

Torrent slowly slid off her broom. She approached Stein and stood just out of his reach.

Stein knew what to do. He dug in his pocket and lifted the crystal out. He got off the bike and approached her. "Give me your hand. It's okay, I won't hurt you."

Torrent's madness started to reflect on Stein's soul as she reached out to him. Her eyes were dark and bloody as she touched Stein's hand.

Stein felt her madness. He felt the frozen fingers. There was the feeling of blood running down the back. Little hands were gripping her throat and knees. Stein gently laid the crystal in her palm and her magic began to merge with her madness.

Giriko felt his breath catch. The madness seemed to have been sucked away and Torrent's form vanished into an explosion of dust and sand. Giriko raised his arms to block the flying dust for that short burst of energy.

Suddenly, he felt the air being sucked back towards Torrent.

When he looked, Giriko's eyes fell on To, the friend of Stein.

To started to fall, her eyes glazed and almost dead. She was falling right towards Stein, her bare feet sliding out from under her. "Stein..."

Stein opened his arms and caught her. He looked up at Giriko. "You won't stay, will you?"

Giriko looked away. "I have something to uphold. I haven't finished with my agreement."


	21. Chapter 21: Finally Able

Giriko leaned back and felt the harsh stones touch him back. He looked down at his feet with his hands deep in his pockets. Giriko had heard her calling for help, but to see her actually get help was something entirely different.

A couple of students were walking by when they irked and walked against the far wall.

His eyes watched them, but he never turned his head. He looked back at his worn boots. '_Did I do the right thing? She's stronger than Arachne and Medusa combined. She survived the first wave of Kishin Hunt. Maybe I did the worst thing for mother._'

He squeezed his eyes shut.

'_No, I didn't do it for her._'

His eyes shot open when the image had floated up.

Soft, kind eyes smiled up at him from the alter. Smooth, pale skin looked ghostly white against the shadows the sun cast on his back. Those open arms with that kind smile. The words that spilled from his lips, they enticed the church to their feet. Those eyes looked almost unhappy. The blond hair curled just a bit at the edges. The black coat swished around his ankles as well as let his dress shoes hide. The white "hat" he wore was off, but the white cape he wore about his shoulders matched the white crosses on his sleeves.

'_No... I didn't do this for "mother" at all..._'

Stein, who'd been sitting next to him, looked up. "We're gonna have to take you to Death eventually."

Giriko nodded. "My end of the bargain hasn't been filled. She's not awake."

Stein nodded and slid over to the ajar door. He knocked once and waited.

Mira opened the door. "You might as well come in. There's no point in waiting outside."

Giriko followed Stein, but shut the door for Mira. He took a deep breath and approached the curtains. He kept behind the curtains to gather his courage to see the damage he may have been the cause of. He stepped into view and his heart stopped.

To was on her back and her arms were interlaced at the fingers on her lower torso. Her eyes were wide open and she seemed to be able to see. She was looking down her nose at Giriko with a look of something unfamiliar to him.

"You're Sou, aren't you?"

Giriko blinked. How long had it been since he'd used that name? Was that the name of this life?

To slowly put her hands at her sides and slowly pulled herself into a sitting position. She flexed her left hand as she started talking in that flat, un-interested tone. "Do you even remember me? I remember you clearly. You didn't have the nose piercing, though. You brought me under your wing for a short time when I passed through your village on a mission from Shibusen." She looked up at Giriko. Her brown eyes that were almost like chocolate clearly said her next statement. "You're only helping me to bring back something lost."

Stein touched her arm. "Are you strong enough to walk?"

To gave him a look and then raised her arm.

Giriko and Mira flinched.

The hand she lifted was her left. She brought it down hard and Stein face-planted out of his chair. He got up and was up in her face.

"What the hell was that for?"

She flexed her hand and then raised it again. This time, she smacked him across the face, making him twist before he fell. "You think I'm such a weakling!" she practically roared. A menacing feeling came off her wavelength that filled the room. She slid her bare feet to the floor and stood over Stein. "Don't make me hurt you."

Stein got up and pulled her cheeks. "You're a freak of nature!"

She made a fist and punched him in the stomach with her right hand. "Hands off!" She then used his momentum of falling forward to grab his hair with her right while her left hand grabbed his sleeves and pulled them behind him. She used her knee and had him kneeling on all fours in a very sexual position. "Don't do that. I'll hurt you real bad if you dare do that again."

Stein just lifted his foot and kicked her in the knee. "I'm not your dog."

She had jumped back and was balanced, quite perfectly, on the perch she'd chosen; the top of the cabinets. Her presence returned to being neutral. She looked at Giriko. "I'll help you, since you've helped me." She pointed at him and looked at Stein. "Does Death know he's here?"

"He knows, just doesn't know what he looks like."

Again, she attacked him. This time, she grabbed his sleeves, twisted his arms back before she grabbed him around the waist and lifted. She did a back-bend and slammed his shoulders into the tiles.

She propped the door open. "Let's go, Giriko Sou. We're gonna need to see what Death thinks of you."

Giriko looked down at Stein. "You'll survive?"

"She's done worse," Mira commented. She helped Stein to his feet. "To's right. You need to go and introduce yourself to Death. You might be able to help Justin then."

Giriko shrugged. "Weapons are weapons. We all seem to feel the same way."

Mira nodded. "Now, shoo, before Torrent takes her fury out on you."

Giriko gave them a two-fingered salute before he walked into the hallway and saw To's heel vanish around a corner.

'_That's right, I'm doing this for Justin._'


	22. Chapter 22: Find Yourself

Torrent was waiting by the door when Giriko finally caught up to her fully. She was leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, and was examining the cracks in the floor. "Giriko, before you set foot into the Death Room, you need to know three very important things."

He took his hands out of his pockets and waited. "I'll listen."

"That's not it." She suddenly turned her head to him and her wavelength surrounded him. "Just because you've done horrid things, don't think we judge based upon that." Her eyes were colder than Arachne or Medusa's. "Firstly, remember that you are a weapon and can or will fight if the opportunity arises. Secondly, you will not speak Justin's name in that room, as it will cause you great harm. Thirdly..." She took her cold stare off him and looked at the door. Her wavelength withdrew to her body again. "Please, whatever you do, don't be someone else."

A drop of sweat dripped off his chin. "What?"

Torrent touched the door. "Death is a forgiving force. He forgives the sins people commit in the name of their makers. Your 'mother', per se, was the woman who created you. He holds a grudge against her, not you." She looked at Giriko with those steel eyes. "Please, just be whomever you are. Don't hide behind fear or anger or an ego. Death can see right through me every time. There's no telling how mad he might get if you hide, too."

She pushed the door open without knocking.

Giriko closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Who was he? He found his voice and stepped in, thanking To for holding the door open.

He followed her steady pace down the long stretch of road with the guillotines glimmering down at him. They passed through the final one and his eyes came upon Death.

The black form with the starkness of white on the mask. He was almost like a black mass or shadow that just happened across a white mask with three, sharp teeth, a nose-hole and two eye-holes. That completed a strange look for a man named "Death"...

Torrent was approaching, leaving Giriko in his awed state. She stood at the very edge of the podium who was standing upon. It was as if she was afraid to approach.

"To~o-cha~an!" He greeted her with such a hyped voice! "Are you sure you should be walking about, To-chan?"

She shook her head. "No. But I'm sure that I'm the one who has to answer for what's happened."

"Actually..."

Giriko was waiting for the "yes, you have to answer!" roar he would expect from Arachne.

"No."

Giriko gasped. "WHAT?"

To looked over her shoulder at him. "I told you."

Death suddenly lifted his hand and-

"whump"

His hand hit her on the head. Not hard, just enough to startle her. "Don't be like that! So, who's this and what's he want and where's he from and whats he made of and what do you think we should do with him?"

Giriko blinked. Death changed pace fast.

"Death, meet Giriko Sou-dono from Lowe Village." Torrent swept her arm out like Giriko was some kind of prized possession she was about to give away. "He's actually one of four Weapons to survive his first year of birth when Arachne made them. I think we should allow him a chance to be part of Shibusen. He might not seem like it, but he's actually a good person."

She gave Giriko her cold look, but he felt a warmth to her words. It was almost as if she were trying to apologize to him about something...

"Giriko-san?"

He felt a fear grip him and he pulled his heels together and tried to straighten up. "h-hai?"

Death sounded like he smiled at Giriko. "Come here a moment, please."

Torrent stepped aside and Giriko ascended the short staircase to his inevitable doom. He finally came to a halt near the center. "Y-yes, erm, sir?"

Death's hand shot out and part of his shadowy figure shot out with it. Giriko gasped before it swallowed him.

Torrent sighed and touched her forehead. "He seems jumpy. Should we eat him?"

Death's hand hit her harder this time.

She was holding her head when she retaliated with; "What the hell was that for?" before pulling her hood up to hid the hurt point. "Are you sure you can cleanse him?"

Death shrugged. "Don't know."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Torrent yelled, grabbing his sides and shaking him back and forth. "I still have a promise to keep! I can't just up and leave Giriko to die before I finish my promise!"

Death suddenly laughed. "He's coming out on his own."

Torrent looked down.


	23. Chapter 23: Uphold the Promise

Giriko's hand emerged. He was reaching out. He began to grab at the air before he found Death's side. He began to pull himself out, his other hand reaching out and grabbing the opposite side.

Torrent took a step back and watched.

Giriko's head popped out and he turned as his torso emerged. Slowly, he pushed his way out and then fell to the floor. Heaving in great gulps of air, he opened one eye to look at Death as he tried to catch his breath.

Torrent knelt down and touched his arm. "Are you alright?"

At first, Giriko didn't say anything. Then he rolled onto his back and slowly looked up at her. "What was that?"

Torrent looked up at Death as she answered his question. "That was the effects of death. You died when he swallowed you. It was entirely by your choice that you survived." She looked down and her cold expression grazed a happy smile. "I've been there and back many times. I've only once ever avoided his death." She helped Giriko sit up. "It was part of the reason I came here."

Giriko finally was able to steady his breath to some extent. He touched his forehead. '_If he's that strong, why does he stay? He can just wipe out all of the evil souls, can't he?_'

Torrent looked across Giriko to Death. "He's not that strong, though. I've nearly killed him twice from the inside." She sighed. Her hands touched his shoulders as she crouched in front of the Enchanter. "But now, there's something I need to speak to him about and you're going to have to stay put until I'm done. Otherwise, you'll fall." She patted them once and stood up, going to Death.

"'Sup?" he said, a bit too cheerily.

Torrent held out her arm and pulled her sleeve back. It exposed her wrist. There was a deep groove cut into her flesh and she looked down at it. "I've been in the tunnel for far too long and I've now seen an evil that we need to exterminate." She looked up at Death. Her eyes were made of steel again. "We must act. If we don't, there's a chance Noah will find that page of Eibon I swallowed."

Giriko gasped and looked up at her.

She didn't turn around, but she dropped her arms to her sides. "Yes. The final page that was never found. The Book of Eibon is a piece of magical history. It's an artifact left to us by Eibon to help us form a world we can all understand. I was forced to swallow it's final page to keep it from ever being fully useful." She gave Death her own death glare. "But I know someone who's found out. We need to eliminate her before she acts upon it."

Death nodded. "But to whom do we owe that deep scar of yours?"

Torrent touched her wrist before she looked down. "It came from Justin Law."

-Stein, Spirit-

They were, of course, watching Kami and Maka catching up with Karey to be the animated talker.

Spirit looked at Stein out of the corner of his eye. He sighed. To see Stein like this was a miracle in itself. He looked away and out, into the endless sands on the outskirts of town. He had to find something to say.

"Sempai?"

He looked at Stein. "What's wrong?"

Stein gently rubbed his temple. "Marie and I failed. Do you think it's possible Justin's gotten stronger since then?"

Spirit looked away. "Yeah. But why would he have held back that time? Why did he just hang back when Torrent wasn't in control?"

"I can answer that one."

Spirit twisted around. He jumped to hug Torrent.

He was met with the back of her right hand. He blank face hadn't given it away. She stood there for a moment. "Stein..."

He turned, slowly, on his chair and looked at her with those unwavering, almost broken eyes. "To..."

She suddenly smiled and stepped aside. "Giriko-san."

Giriko stepped into the fading twilight. His eyes weren't as rabid and crazy as before. But he was still giving off a small amount of madness. He kept his hands in his pockets as he came to stand beside Torrent.

Torrent smiled at Stein again. But her eyes held no happiness. "Giriko-san might be just what you need, Franken." Torrent walked over to him and touched his shoulder. "He told me where to find Justin. But he wants to help." She looked over her shoulder at Giriko. She gestured for him to come closer. "Death discovered his true form he'd forgotten many years ago. I think you'll be delighted to see."

Kami sauntered up and looked at Giriko with an apprehension that was clear for a mother to have. She must've heard the tale of Maka, Soul, Crona, Ragnarok, and Justin versus Giriko Sou of the Czech Republic.

Giriko didn't look at her, he was watching the sun set. He finally looked at Spirit. "Sorry about your daughter."

Spirit was confused. "What?"

He took his hands out of his pockets. "I'm sorry that I attacked her. I just hadn't been able to find an opponent for a long time. When she and Soul came along, I just couldn't help it and the madness took hold." He looked Spirit right in the eye. "I'm sorry that I was so much trouble before. But there's something I have to do and I need your daughter's help to do it. She's the only one who can help me now."

Maka gasped. "How can I help you?"

Torrent turned to the group as a whole. "We need to train you and your team of four as well as Kilik, Ox, Kim, and Hiro. The eight of you need to see something that you've only done on a small scale before. For that, we need to give you and Kilik's group an opening. Once we do that, you'll be able to help Giriko-san." She suddenly raised her hand to her chest and her stone face softened. "Giriko-san will most likely die, but he wants to do this to help me uphold my promise to Justin-chan."


	24. Chapter 24: Believe in You

Torrent was whistling softly when Kim found her.

Kim stood back for a moment before she gathered her courage. She was alone, she'd asked Jacqueline to stay a bit behind so she could try to do this on her own. "Excuse me?"

Torrent continued to whistle.

Kim came closer. "Excuse me?"

Torrent pushed off the wall and turned to face Kim. She lifted her arms and crossed them across her chest. She had cold eyes. "What?"

Kim closed her eyes and then swallowed her fear. She had to ask. "Are you really a Witch?"

Torrent didn't answer at first. She slowly took her left hand and held it out towards Kim. With a soft swish, she had Jacqueline flying closer, at a slow pace. Once Jacqueline was right beside Kim, she turned her hand so her palm was down again and Jacqueline stumbled to a stand.

Kim turned to her. "How did you survive so long here?"

Torrent looked at her left hand, flexing her fingers. "How? There was someone who believed in me. No matter how bad things seemed here, he made them bearable." She snapped her fingers twice. "Don't you have someone who thinks you're amazing?" she asked, turning her face towards the girls. "He saved me more than once, and I did this for him." She gestured to her cloths.

Kim touched her chest and a sad smile formed on her face. "I reject him so much, though."

Torrent's laugh was slight and had a sorrow of years passed. "I used to slap them all when they needed it." She came forward, her bare feet softly patting the floor. She touched Kim's head and leaned forward so her breath hissed across Kim's ear. "Don't forget that someone believes in you. Sometimes, that's all you need." She stood up and walked passed the girls, her hair swirling in her wake.

Kim was turning around when they heard...

"YOU'RE LATE! WHAT THE-?"

SMACK!

Spirit was plastered to the wall with a red mark on his face. Torrent's kindness was gone, replaced by her blank face. She lifted her foot and brought it down, hard, on Spirit's back, driving her heel into his spine. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Spirit begged her to get off.

Torrent leaned on her leg and held a hand to her ear. "I'm sorry, what were you saying? I'm late? I've been waiting in this hallway for an hour." An evil aura started to come off her as she smiled at Spirit with those crude eyes. "So, who's late?"

Kim realized what Torrent meant.

"Someone who believes in me..." She smiled at Jacqueline and held out her hand. "C'mon. Let's go find Kilik and Ox. We need to prepare for departure soon."

Jacqueline nodded and took Kim's hand.

-Justin-

He was running through the forest.

That couldn't be! It just couldn't be!

The sting to his eyes was only reflected on his heart. He grabbed the Kishin eye around his neck and closed his eyes as he stopped at a tree. He pressed his forehead against the sharp angles of the bark. He sank to his knees and covered his face, crying.

Giriko's madness had vanished. Completely vanished!

Justin curled up and his forehead touched his knees. He had hoped that they wouldn't have, but they'd killed him.

He'd never see Giriko again. He'd never find out if Giriko had it in him to smile. His promise was broken to Torrent. He would never see Giriko again, but Stein was still out there.

'_Justin Law-kun, why you cry?_'

Justin shook his head. "Don't use his voice. He's gone. I'll never see him again."

'_But you still love him._' Those spindly fingers brushed Justin's hair away from his face as Justin slowly sat up. '_We'll be here. Justin Law-kun, don't cry, we're here for you now. We'll be the one who loves you now._'

Justin closed his eyes and the tears streamed down his face. He raised his arm and the guillotine appeared and he slashed at the tree before he cut his other arm. He began to cut his cloths, the tears blinding him as he kept his eyes mostly shut. He was frustrated and sad. "Don't leave me. I want to be loved. Please don't go."

'_I'm not going anywhere,_' whispered the clown as he wrapped his arms around Justin, who was covered in his own blood and tears. '_I'm not going to leave you. We're always together, Justin Law-kun. I'll use his voice until you can stop crying._'


	25. Chapter 25: Prepare to Move Out

Torrent lifted her foot and it made contact with Sid's wrist. She pushed off and arched through the air. She landed in a cat's stance. There was a pause and she jumped high, springing onto Stein, whom, she pulled his head, turning his body and slamming him to the ground, away from Kami.

Sid shot out of the ground and reached out, grabbing her wrist.

Stein turned and used Giriko, in his chainsaw form, to slice at the back of Sid, who managed to twist away.

Kami lifted her hand and brought Spirit down on Torrent, who pushed her torso back so the blade just narrowly missed her shoulder and landed between her knees as she was airborne. Kami didn't wait and used Spirit to pull herself forward and her foot made contact with Torrent.

Torrent turned and used the momentum to sweep Sid off his feet, avoiding a near blow from Giriko.

While down, Sid used Mira to pin Torrent's sleeve down.

Kid, Maka, Ox, Kilik, Black*Star, Crona, Kim, and Hiro were all watching in awe.

Karey was standing nearby, glad to not be part of the fight. "Neat, huh? This is how they used to train, or so Kami told me. They're really good at working as a team."

Stein finally stood up after staring down Torrent. The Witch also released her tough stature as Sid landed beside her. Sid turned to face Kami and the four of them put their hands in the middle and did a silent cheer before Giriko, Mira, and Spirit were released.

Torrent huffed and then looked at the kids and their Weapons. "Ready?"

Ox was gawking at them. "Wow, what was that?"

"We get bored, too," Kami replied. "You'll stay behind and protect the city, right?"

Karey nodded. "Nothing I'd wanna do more. I'm kinda tired of the travel." She waved as she turned to go back inside. "Catch a wave for me!"

Torrent pulled her hood up and held her hand out. "Alright. Since we've got two Witches this time, we can go with stealth. Kim, I'm going to need you to believe in your powers as a Witch for this to work." Her broom hovered beside her. "Can you do that for me?"

Kim nodded and took a deep breath. "Yes, I think I can do that." She looked at Jacqueline, who transformed into her broom-like form. "What do you need me to do?" she asked, holding onto Jacqueline's handle with a shaky hand.

Torrent just smiled and touched the girl's crown. "Don't be so scared. You're a strong Witch, and there's a lot you can look forward to in the hours to come."

-_flashback_-

Torrent was heaving a great sigh and then noticed her current weapon was impaled by a tree, her leg was that is. With her teeth gritted she limped over and looked at the tear-soaked face of the Sword Weapon. "Do you want me to pull it out?"

She nodded and covered her mouth.

Torrent took hold and braced her Weapon against her side. "One. Two. Three!" She yanked hard and blood pooled to the ground. Torrent threw the chunk of wood aside and fell to the ground with her Weapon. "Medic!" She looked back at the Weapon. "You're going to have to stay out of it now. I'll find another way to kill the Kishin. Please, just stay put."

When the medic arrived, Torrent quickly explained and then jumped back into the fray.

She ran passed many of her classmates. Most of them were dead. Some of them were dying. Their souls were collecting more Kishin to the area.

Torrent's brown eyes slimmed to her feline eyes as she darted passed a classmate who'd just been shot through the head. His gray matter was splattered on the soil and his soul slowly rose out of his body. She jumped over one guy who was running for cover with his wounded partner. When she landed, her feet slid on the soaked earth. She brought her right hand back and used it to slow to a stop.

Stein was falling.

She quickly stood up and held her arms out. As he fell into her arms, she slumped down. "Stein?"

He was smiling. "So missed." He sat up-right in her lap. "Where's-?"

Torrent shook her head. "And I'm not about to use my Witch magic for this!"

Stein leaned over and brushed her hair away from her ear. "I believe in you. Use the madness. Open up your soul to it. I'm right here. You won't fall."

Torrent slowly closed her eyes. "If I do this, you promise?"

"We all do." Sid landed beside Kami, who was holding out a hand for Torrent or Stein. "We're the best of our years, so, we need to end this before more students die."

Torrent closed her eyes again and bowed her head. "Then we'll need to end this Kishin Hunt. Too many..."

-_end_-

Stein touched her shoulder. "I know." He smiled at Torrent. "But we still believe in you. Even after all you've been through, you still wanted our help." He held his hand up.

Torrent gave him a fist bump. "Then let's end this."


	26. Chapter 26: Encounter

Justin suddenly looked up when Noah stopped to examine a tree.

That sensation...

His eyes widened as he realized a moment too late.

Torrent's broom slammed into his gut, throwing his feet off the dirt and she slammed him into a tree. She angled herself back and her broom swung back and he began to fall. She swung forward and caught him just on the rib cage.

Her eyes were filled with a darkness that was common with Witches.

Justin gripped the tree with his right hand and then swung his left arm around, the guillotine shooting out at the last second.

Torrent didn't move as his blade made contact with her left side. She just smiled, slowly, and reached out, grabbing his hair. She shoved him down, causing pain from the pressure of the broom and because his arm was across her body.

He was about to say something when Noah lifted the Book.

Torrent turned her head. The wind picked up and her soul returned to a normal density and she held her hand out. Opening her palm, a shard of ice shot off her sleeve and she gripped it. The ice started to splinter and crack, forming a very dangerous piece of weaponry, with a saw-like edge.

Noah began to suck her into the book.

She lifted her arm over her head and threw the ice piece at him.

Noah had to dodge and she crouched down on her broom. Slowly, she closed her eyes and shot into the air when Noah tried again. "Get down here! You bloody traitor!"

She came shooting back down, but she wasn't alone. She held a chainsaw in her left hand.

When Torrent made contact with the ground, she flicked her wrist once and the speed setting changed from an extreme to a slow pace. She swung it around and held it like a tonfa, close to her forearm. She charged at Noah.

"Get him!" she yelled as she ran passed Justin.

Justin was about to get up when he felt a shock and swung his arm around. He barely missed Stein's hair and Justin touched his shoulder where he'd received the shock. "Too shallow, old man."

Stein shook his head. "We're not here to kill you."

Justin smirked. "Is that so?" He lunged at him when Spirit landed between them. Raising his arms, Spirit blocked the blow with two scythes protruding from his forearms. "Spirit! How nice to see you! Too bad I have to kill you later." He put both feet on Spirit's scythes and kicked off. He lunged at Torrent.

She spotted him and the wildness in her eyes pierced the air between them. She turned at the last second, receiving a scratch on her cheek before she brought the chainsaw down on him. Justin's reaction to Torrent's move was impressive, since he used a shackle on his leg to force her attack to rebound.

Torrent skidded away, her bare feet making small scars on the dirt. She used a tree to stop herself.

However, Justin was coming, so, she had to duck. Ducking, though, gave her an opening to his middle. She swung the chainsaw.

Justin blocked it with a blast of his wavelength.

But when it touched the chainsaw, he heard it.

'_Son of a freak! What the hell's going on out there?_'

'_Stay calm. He just hit you with a wavelength._'

'_Butthead never showed he could do that!_'

Torrent flicked her wrist and the speed setting went up a notch. She swung at Justin, who was too stunned to move.

That was Giriko's voice. But Giriko's wavelength was...

Justin used the clamp to capture the chainsaw. Pulling, he got it out of her grip and threw it away. He swung his leg and used the weight of a heavy waist shackle to go for her legs. He made contact, but now she was on her hands.

Twisting, Torrent's ankle made contact with the side of his head and he went spiraling into a tree. She landed on her feet and ran after the chainsaw.

Giriko was twisted around a tree's branches. He squirmed and then saw Torrent. "Oi!"

She jumped into the tree, cat-like, and began to bend the branches so he could get free. When he was, she touched his shoulder. "He recognized you. I think it's now or never."

Giriko nodded. He dropped down and walked over to Justin, who was still recovering from the blow. Shoving his hands into his jeans' pockets, he gave Justin a little smile. "Had enough? We're not quite done with you."

Justin looked away and spat out some blood. "Tch, like I'd need a handicap from you."

Giriko sighed and pointed at the blue sky. "Ever noticed the clouds?"

Justin was looking up and Giriko took advantage of that. He wound the gear chains around Justin, pulling them tight to hold him still. Justin glared at him. "You're not really Giriko, are you? Giriko's gone. He's dead. There's no way you can be him."

Torrent suddenly landed on the chain and slid those few feet to Justin. She cartwheeled over him and landed behind him. Torrent's wavelength was solidly madness as she brought her arm back. Creating a spear-head with her ice, she pierced his back.

Not red blood, but black blood crystallized as she pulled her hand out.

Justin ejected two, large guillotines out his back and she ducked. He saw her going for his leg and he twisted to stomp on her when he noticed something.

Looking up, he saw Gopher diving towards them and he tipped backwards, exposing Torrent's crouched position.

Gopher dive-bombed her, but when the dust cleared, it was clear who was the superior.

Torrent had stopped him with one hand. She suddenly smirked and turned. As she turned, madness erupted from her soul and hit Gopher.

Justin felt it.

The madness she felt was almost like that of a Kishin. It was pure and solid, all the way through. She was eating it out of the air.

That was why he felt like Giriko was dead.


	27. Chapter 27: The Link

Torrent took the opportunity and reached out her hand. She made her skin touch Justin's cheek and she gently pressed her forehead against his.

Slowly, she began to bore through his soul. Torrent's soft soul, her kindness, slowly seeped into Justin's harsh soul.

"Torrent!"

She closed her eyes as she fell to her knees with Justin.

Stein gritted his teeth and turned to Giriko. He held out his hand. "Let's do this. We need to make sure nobody interrupts her."

For a moment, Giriko just stood there. He clenched both hands into fists. "Let's do this." He held his hand out and grabbed Stein's offer. "I won't lose him for that."

Stein turned and flicked his right hand out, swinging Giriko close to the ground. He brought it to his body and made contact with Gopher, who quickly kicked off and shot into the air.

'_He's fast. Remember that he's nimble and he's capable of doing a lot of damage._'

'_Right. What's his weakness?_' Stein asked, not going for Gopher's bait for chase.

'_Attack Noah. It'll make Gopher go ballistics._'

'_Got it._' Stein turned and kicked off, running full blast at Noah, who had engaged with Sid. '_Get down!_'

Sid ducked as the wide swing came from behind him. Noah used the book to blow a blast stronger than necessary to back away and slow the blow. The rotating blades grazed the pages and Noah noticed Justin.

He kicked off and sped towards Justin.

'_He's going for Justin!_' Giriko yelled through the Resonance Look.

Sid shot after Noah when Stein saw it.

Torrent raised her left hand to Justin's face as tears began to flood from both of them. She had to place her madness within Justin to stop whatever was driving him mad. Torrent's lips slowly parted and she gave Justin a little kiss.

Stein felt like he'd hurl, but then he saw her eyes open when she'd begun to back away. She sat there as Justin's eyes opened. His natural soul flooded the area around him and Torrent smiled at Stein. She didn't need the madness when she was that close to Justin! She was human...

Torrent suddenly grabbed Justin and he turned his head to see Noah.

A flash of maroon and Torrent was standing beside Sid. She touched her chest and then connected to the Resonance. '_We're okay. Justin's here._'

There was a pause and then Torrent dove forward, sliding on her stomach to avoid a blow from the book.

Justin ejected a clamp and it twisted her into the air so she could land on her feet.

'_Let's take him down!_' Justin yelled. There was a conviction in his voice.

'_Good._'

Torrent jumped back. The other three jumped back as well. Their shoulders collided.

Torrent brought her arms up, her left curling around her body, her right curling around her head. Justin's shimmering guillotine hung before her and the shackle was behind her. Stein brought Giriko around and was holding him like a tonfa. His left hand reached over his right arm and he touched the opposite end of Giriko's blade, his stance wide. Kami brought Spirit up and then jammed the cross into the ground. She used her left hand to hold the end and her right turned her body away from the blade. Sid crouched low and held Mira close to his arm, his body in a defensive position.

They all closed their eyes.

Maka saw it. Their souls began to fuse and link. Slowly, eight individual souls vanished. One soul formed between their backed shoulders. She gasped.

Although it was small, it was super dense. There was a pair of cat ears on it's surface, as well as a clamp coming off the little wisp on the top. A chain with sharp teeth moved over it's outside, right over a stitch that held it together from the left to right slash. There was a small star where hair would be clipped back, as well as a black cross etched on the right side, below the stitching. A silver sheen covered it and there was a small black circle on the top.

"That soul..."

Torrent opened her eyes first. Sparks flew across her skin and through the links of Justin's chain. She twisted to the left and the guillotine flashed through the air.

Noah had used that time to release a bunch of soldiers from his book. They began to charge and she used the swirling guillotine to slice them down. The way the chain swung around her resembled Black*Star's movements. She lunged forward and threw the shackle. It opened and grabbed one guy.

He grounded his feet and she pulled the chain taut.

No words, but Sid ran down the length of the chain and used the foot soldier to jump into the fray. That had knocked the guy out.

Torrent turned and brought her arm over her head. She literally made him face-plant.

She had made him do it in front of the kid. Her eyes fell on them and they saw Stein's determined stare looking through her.

Torrent released Justin, who appeared beside the downed man. His crosses were back. He touched the man and gave him a quick prayer before he held his hand out. Again, no words.

Stein reached down and grabbed him as he ran passed.

Justin went flying back, his chain wrapping around another soldier and knocking him into the others. Justin remained in his weapon form as Stein kicked of a tree to change directions and took down several of them that were going for the kids.

Justin did a leap-frog over Stein's head, pushing down with his hands to be sure he cleared Stein's head. He grabbed onto a tree and swung to crouch on the branch.

Stein was suddenly struck through the shoulder by a sharp object and he was pinned to Justin's tree. His grip slipped and Giriko crouched down, five feet under Stein's feet. He got up and held his hands as fists in front of him. The sharp chain dangled between his clenched fingers. He raised his hand and flicked. The chain shot out.

Justin swung down and used his guillotines to keep his feet to the tree as he took hold of the spike. He pulled and it came free after the fourth pull. Justin hopped down and put his hand to Stein's shoulder.

Giriko just looked over his shoulder and then forward again. He smirked.

"How are you so coordinated?" Noah asked, a hint of fear under his frustration and anger.

Giriko wanted to answer, but kept his mouth shut. He smirked and his sharp teeth shone in the light.

"Wanna know?" Kami's hand touched Noah's shoulder. She pulled his shirt and flung him to the ground. "Nobody can sense our wavelength anymore. We can speak without opening our mouth." She lifted her foot and, almost as if paying homage to the original, stomped in Giriko's fashion. Her foot narrowly missed the rolling Noah as he got away.

But he only got so far when a huge burst of wavelength shot through his body.

As he fell, Torrent's smoking fist was where his back had been. Her hood was down and her hair was still settling. Her eyes held Giriko's wildness, but Stein's determination as she got out of Stein's stance. "We're all connected. We've got the Resonance Link holding our souls together. There's nothing we can't achieve together." She lifted her foot in the same way Kami had done.

The difference was the ice shaping out the bottom of her bare foot. It had something red tinting it to the sun's rays.

Torrent brought her foot down.


End file.
